The National Museum of Damascus is set to reopen next Sunday after a seven-year suspension due to the terrorist war waged on the country.

The inauguration ceremony, organized by Ministry of Culture in cooperation with Tourism Ministry, will be accompanied by a two-day international symposium entitled “the situation of museums and their role in enhancing national belonging” in which a number of Syrian and foreign archaeologists and experts will take part.

Head of the General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums, Mahmoud Hammoud, told SANA that four sections of the museum will be opened in the current stage and they will showcase archaeological findings that date back to the prehistoric, historical, classical and Islamic eras, in addition to some never seen before artefacts which have been restored by the Syrian Arab army.

Hammoud expressed gratitude to efforts exerted by local bodies to complete restoration works as well as the international initiatives and support provided by the UN Development Program, Japanese institutions and western archaeologists interested in the Syrian civilizations.

He noted that the reopening of the museum conveys a message of determination and steadfastness and stresses Syria’s full victory over terrorism.